Top 5 Best Picture Oscar Winners

I have professed my distaste for many a Top 5 list in the past but there are always exceptions to the rule and, having watched a fair few of the Best Picture Oscar winners I feel I am in a good position to state the Top 5 Best Picture Winners, according to Screen Insight is …

5. The Departed

Martin Scorsese should’ve won an Oscar much earlier in his career – losing out to Dances with Wolves when he had Goodfellas was shocking. The Departed is proof that filmmakers can not only remake a foreign film exceptionally well, but additionally, if they are good enough they will eventually win an Oscar. An incredible cast, a hugely entertaining film – this is an example when Oscar gets it right and everyone who watches the film will agree with their decision

4. Annie Hall

Oscar is not a big fan of comedy. I am a huge fan of Woody Allen and Annie Hall is much more accessible than the vast majority of his work. Even with Manhattan, Woody Allen has the semi-pretentiousness of a black-and-white palette whilst one of the female love interests to Woody is a 14-year-old girl. You get none of this in Annie Hall, just some incredible jokes and some facsinating innovative techniques in use – subtitles to expain what the couple really mean, tthe ghost-like Diane-Keaton leaving the bed as Woody tries to seduce her whilst the opening and closing direct-to-camera monologues show how great a showman Woody Allen truly is.

3. Casablanca

Having recently mentioned this on the A-Z, there is only so much to say. It still remains a classic with stunning performances from everyone involved. Like the best classics – Gone with the Wind, Night of the Living Dead and Easy Rider – the end of Casablanca can never be remade, retouched or improved upon. It was made at a specific time, representing a period with actors that could only deliver those specific lines at that time in history.

2. West Side Story

Musicals and Epics dominated fifties cinema. Other winners during that time period were The Sound of Music, My Fair Lady, Lawrence of Arabia and Ben-Hur. On one level, West Side Story is a musical which is very personal as Tony and Maria fall in love – but set on an epic backdrop as the two families are against each other. A remake of-sorts (based on Romeo and Juliet) it has energy, pace and tragedy. One of my favourite musicals… and one of my favourite Oscar winners.

1. The Godfather/The Godfather Part II

You can’t separate them first off. The only sequel to win Best Picture is only as good as it is because of its predescessor. Francis Ford-Coppola famously turned the films down when first approached. Mario Puzo needed the money. Al Pacino was unknown and Marlon Brando bailed on the sequel. So many stories behind it, so many personal connections and I think it is all these incredible facets that make the film even more watchable. It has class, it has style and it deserves its Best Picture win. As it also deserves its place as one of the Best Films of All Time.

SCHINDLER'S LIST is incredible, but the ending of that film is a little jarring. I was tempted to put LORD OF THE RINGS in there, but the fantasy thing, though incredible, isn't my bag. You won't find me dressed up as Gandalf. ALL ABOUT EVE is good, but I had to choose either epic or musical for that time period. You need to watch ANNIE HALL … and then MANHATTAN … and then HANNAH AND HER SISTERS … and then …

Yeah, THE APARTMENT would've been number 6 or soemthing. LAWRENCE OF ARABIA is akin to BEN-HUR – big sprawling epics which, if I'm honest, I'd rather go to a small-scale film. MIDNIGHT COWBOY I have not seen … but that will be rectified within a couple of months as it is on my LOVEfilm list (Netflix-type thing)

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